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Gay lawmaker sees path to civil unions in Colo. after NY vote

Gay lawmaker sees path to civil unions in Colo. after NY vote

Rep. Mark Ferrandino explains the Colorado Civil Union Act to the House Judiciary Committee March 31. The bill died on a party line vote. But the gay Denver Democrat has hopes it will pass in 2012 after New York Republicans extended marriage rights to same-sex couples. Photo by Evan Semon

After the New York state Senate passed a bill late Friday night extending marriage rights to same-sex couples, Rep. Mark Ferrandino’s partner Greg said they should plan a trip back east.

 

The New York Assembly had already passed the bill and the governor, who sponsored it, signed it into law within a matter of hours. New York Gay and lesbian couples will be able to marry in 30 days.

 

Ferrandino, a gay Denver Democrat, is a native New Yorker and while the thought crossed his mind, he suggested to his partner they wait until civil unions are legal in Colorado.

 

“We had a commitment ceremony in Wisconsin, where Greg’s from, in 2006,” said Ferrandino, who was the House sponsor of the 2011 Colorado Civil Union Act. “We’ll be happy to have a civil union in Colorado when we have legal recognition in this state.”

 

The fact of the matter is, New York being the first state to extending marriage rights to same-sex couples, by the will of Republican lawmakers, will undeniably change the debate nationwide and in states where previous attempts have failed — including Colorado.

 

Earlier this year, Ferrandino, with state Sen. Pat Steadman, introduced a bill to establish civil unions here. The bill easily passed the Democratically controlled Senate. Colorado’s Gov. John Hickenlooper, often viewed as a supporter of LGBT rights, supported the bill, albeit quietly at first. And a coalition of more than 100 organizations led by One Colorado, a statewide LGBT advocacy group, delivered thousands of post cards and emails, made thousands more phone calls to state lawmakers and hosted a lobbying day.

 

But in the end, the bill died on a party line vote in a Republican controlled House committee never reaching the full floor where Ferrandino said he had enough votes to pass the bill.

 

Supporters of a 2011 bill that would have established civil unions in Colorado gather March 31 on the west steps of the Capitol. The bill died in a Republican committee on a party line vote.

“It disappoints me we weren’t able to do it this year in Colorado,” Ferrandino said.

 

But there’s hope, he argues. The composition of New York’s legislature is nearly identical to Colorado’s. In both states one chamber is controlled by Democrats and another Republicans, by one seat. Moreover, Ferrandino points out, both states have pro-equality governors.

 

“Hopefully, this vote will give Republican House leadership more courage to make it happen here,” Ferrandino said.

 

He said New York’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage will be conversation in Colorado’s GOP.

 

“It’s national news,” he said. “It will be conversation amongst supporters in the House. Hopefully it will provide more leverage to argue for a full floor vote.”

 

A number of factors will determine what happens in Colorado. Ferrandino and Steadman have already promised to re-introduce the bill. While, Republicans will still control the House when they do, Ferrandino said Speaker Frank McNulty could change the makeup of the Judiciary committee that killed the bill last year or assign the bill to a more favorable committee.

 

But, most importantly, Ferrandino argued, House leadership needs to elevate the pressure it put on its members to block the bill from reaching the House floor.

 

“(McNulty and House Majority Leader Amy Stephens) made sure it never came to the floor,” he said.

 

This is in contrast to New York where House leadership opposed the bill, but nevertheless allowed its entire body to vote after weeks of intense negotiations, reassurance from the Democratic governor and high profile GOP donors said they’d support re-election campaigns for those who’s vote resulted in the loss of conservative dollars, The New York Times reported.

 

“New York should be an example of what to do,” Ferrandino said.

 

While the push by proponents for civil unions in Colorado was one of the largest and best organized he’s seen in years at the Capitol, Ferrandino warned, those who want civil unions in 2012 can’t let up just because the General Assembly has adjourned.

 

“The work done by the community was why the bill was so close to being passed this year.” Ferrandino said. “And we need to keep up that intensity. We can’t sit on our hands. We need to reach out to legislatures during the summer and fall, to show them why they need to pass it when they come back in January.”

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